Making Multi-Color Prints Without Losing Your Mind — ACE Pro Workflow

Multi-color FDM is powerful but adds complexity at every step. Here's a workflow that keeps it manageable.

The Workflow Overview

Design → Assign colors in Orca → Configure purge → Dry filaments → Print → Watch first swap

Step 1 — Model Preparation

Your model needs separate objects or painted regions for each color.

Method A — Multi-part model:

• Design each color as a separate STL
• Import all into Orca as a "merged" multi-object print
• Assign filament slots to each object

Method B — Orca Slicer Paint:

• Import single STL
• Right-click → Color painting
• Paint regions with the brush tool
• Works well for logos, text, flat regions

Step 2 — Assign Filament Slots

1. Load each filament color into ACE Pro channels 1–4
2. In Orca: filament selector → assign each color to a slot
3. Match your physical loading order

Step 3 — Configure Purge

The purge tower is what wastes material between swaps. Minimize it without ruining prints:

Enable Purge into infill/support to reduce tower size.

Step 4 — Dry All Filaments

Wet filament during a multi-color print is catastrophic — it can clog mid-swap and jam the ACE Pro. Dry all colors before starting.

Step 5 — Monitor First Color Swap

The first color change is where most multi-color prints fail:

• Watch the purge complete
• Confirm new color is clean in the purge block before the print resumes
• If contamination is present, stop and check ACE Pro tension

Troubleshooting